Neighbors of a future homeless navigation center in Southeast Austin want more done to stop crime in the area. The Austin City Council voted this week to spend $4.3 million to buy property on Interstate-35 just south of Oltorf Street. It will be the site of a new resource hub for homeless clients.
The owners of a Southeast Austin La Quinta Inn and an adjacent restaurant are only separated from the new homeless navigation center by a metal fence. They think council members moved too quickly and did not involve neighbors in deciding if the resource hub is a good fit for the neighborhood.
“We’re not against the navigation center; we’re against it being in this location,” said Shilpa Nair, owner and general manager of the La Quinta Inn at 4200 S. I-35 Frontage Road…